Federal White-Collar Statutes — Quick Reference

A printable reference to the statutes and rules this site explains, grouped by the categories of offense, with a link to each article. Every article explains the elements of its statute, what the government must prove, and the penalties. The five-year default limitation of 18 U.S.C. 3282 and the ten-year bank-fraud period of 18 U.S.C. 3293 appear throughout. If you face a federal investigation, what to do depends on the stage — the articles below walk through each one.

What the government must prove

Each article explains what the government must prove and the penalties each statute carries:

Wire Fraud Under 18 U.S.C. 1343: Elements and Penalties — 18 U.S.C. 1343 (wire fraud); 18 U.S.C. 3282 (default five-year limitation)
Wire Fraud Statute of Limitations — 18 U.S.C. 3282 (default five-year limitation); 18 U.S.C. 3293 (bank-fraud ten-year limitation); 18 U.S.C. 1343 (wire fraud)
Mail Fraud Under 18 U.S.C. 1341: Elements and Penalties — 18 U.S.C. 1341 (mail fraud)
Bank Fraud Under 18 U.S.C. 1344: Elements and Penalties — 18 U.S.C. 1344 (bank fraud); 18 U.S.C. 3293 (bank-fraud ten-year limitation)
Honest Services Fraud Under 18 U.S.C. 1346 — 18 U.S.C. 1346 (honest services fraud); 18 U.S.C. 1341 (mail fraud)
Securities Fraud: 15 U.S.C. 78j, Rule 10b-5, and Penalties — 15 U.S.C. 78j (Section 10(b)); 15 U.S.C. 78ff (securities penalties)
Insider Trading: Tippee and Tipper Liability — 15 U.S.C. 78j (Section 10(b)); 15 U.S.C. 78ff (securities penalties)
Money Laundering Under 18 U.S.C. 1956: Elements and Penalties — 18 U.S.C. 1956 (money laundering)
Embezzlement: Federal Statutes and Elements — 18 U.S.C. 641 (public money and property); 18 U.S.C. 656 (bank employee theft)
Identity Theft and Aggravated Identity Theft Under Federal Law — 18 U.S.C. 1028 (identity fraud); 18 U.S.C. 1028A (aggravated identity theft)
Tax Evasion Under 26 U.S.C. 7201: Willfulness and Affirmative Acts — 26 U.S.C. 7201 (tax evasion)
Bribery of Public Officials Under 18 U.S.C. 201 — 18 U.S.C. 201 (bribery and gratuities)
RICO: 18 U.S.C. 1961-1968, Enterprise and Pattern of Racketeering — 18 U.S.C. 1961 (RICO definitions); 18 U.S.C. 1962 (RICO prohibited activities); 18 U.S.C. 1963 (RICO penalties)
Federal Conspiracy Under 18 U.S.C. 371 — 18 U.S.C. 371 (conspiracy)
Federal Sentencing Guidelines: How Offense Levels Work — Justice Manual 9-27.000 (principles of federal prosecution); 18 U.S.C. 3282 (default five-year limitation)
Grand Jury and Indictment: Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6 — Fed. R. Crim. P. 6 (grand jury)
Plea Bargaining and Cooperation in Federal Cases — Fed. R. Crim. P. 11 (pleas); Justice Manual 9-27.000 (principles of federal prosecution)
Federal Criminal Investigations: Targets, Subjects, and Witnesses — Justice Manual 9-27.000 (principles of federal prosecution)
Federal Statute of Limitations in Criminal Cases — 18 U.S.C. 3282 (default five-year limitation); 18 U.S.C. 3293 (bank-fraud ten-year limitation)
Choosing a White-Collar Defense Attorney — Justice Manual 9-27.000 (principles of federal prosecution); Fed. R. Crim. P. 6 (grand jury)

Cases that shaped this area

Landmark decisions the articles explain as public law:

McNally v. United States
Carpenter v. United States
Toussie v. United States
Pereira v. United States
Schmuck v. United States
Loughrin v. United States
Skilling v. United States
McDonnell v. United States
Basic v. Levinson
Matrixx v. Siracusano
Dirks v. SEC
Salman v. United States
Cuellar v. United States
United States v. Santos
Morissette v. United States
Flores-Figueroa v. United States
Cheek v. United States
Spies v. United States
United States v. Sun-Diamond Growers of California
United States v. Turkette
H.J. Inc. v. Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.
Pinkerton v. United States
United States v. Booker
Gall v. United States
Costello v. United States
Santobello v. New York
Garrity v. New Jersey
Strickland v. Washington

Primary sources

The official texts behind every entry (links open the official text):